


Weak

by minnesotamemelord



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Canon Backstory, Could be platonic, Could be romantic, Fluff, Give me ideas please, I Tried, Law School, Lawyers, M/M, Pre-Rafael Barba/Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr., Sick Character, Sickfic, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tough Love, Well not really, idk it's not my best but it's not bad, it's up to you honestly, shockingly no angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-26 14:58:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18284624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minnesotamemelord/pseuds/minnesotamemelord
Summary: Sonny and Rafael had a standing study 'date', every Tuesday and Thursday, and Rafael was pretty sure Sonny was going to fail the bar without his help. So when Sonny took a sick day, Rafael wasn't about to risk Sonny's entire future on one minor (maybe not so minor) cold.





	Weak

**Author's Note:**

> I really want to write another full-length fic, which I haven't done in a while. If you have any ideas, please let me know! I really love hearing from you guys and hearing what you want to see!

"Carisi, open up!" Rafael pounded on the door. "Come on, I know you're in there!" There was a brief moment, then the door opened. Sonny stood inside, hardly visible through the crack in the door. From what Rafael could see, though, he looked awful. Not just like he had a cold, but like he had been slapped in the face, sucker punched, and stomped upon by a cold. He wore a red Fordham sweatshirt and striped pajama pants. His hair was a gray-brown mess around his pale, gaunt face.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was low and husky, hardly above a whisper.

"Did you forget it's Tuesday? We have to study." Rafael pushed past Sonny into the apartment and set the paper bag he was carrying down on the kitchen counter. He pulled off his coat and tossed it over the back of the sofa.

"Yeah, I-I know. I just figured we'd cancel, because I-"

"What, because you called in sick? Absolutely not. You have the bar exam in barely three weeks, and if you fail, I will blame myself personally, which I don't like to do. So, can you still read flashcards?"

"...Yeah."

"Then sit your ass down and get your laptop." Rafael pulled out a white plastic container from the bag.

"What's that?" Sonny asked as he sat down, opening his computer.

"Soup. I'm not a monster." Rafael put the soup in the fridge and sat across from Sonny in a leather armchair. "You ready?"

"No, man. I've been asleep for about sixteen hours. Before that, I was puking my guts up. I haven't thought about work, much less school, since I left court yesterday. So no, I'm not ready."

"Well, get ready. Question one: a woman went to a nearby supermarket late one night. She parked in the store’s parking lot, and while walking toward the building two masked males assaulted and raped her. The lot was poorly lit, had no security personnel, and was frequented by gang members. The police had several incident reports in the past 12 months documenting prior criminal activities, including some personal robberies and assaults, in the lot. The store itself had even more reports than the police. The woman sued the store for her injuries, claiming that it breached its duty to make the premises reasonably safe for its customers. Will she likely prevail?"

"Barba, I'm literally a sex crimes detective. I get cases like this on a daily basis."

"Just answer the question."

"Fine." Sonny leaned back and thought for a minute. "Yeah. She will."

"Why?"

"Because... because a business is liable for known conditions in the building or adjoining parking areas that are a danger to the personal security and safety of its customers."

"That's... correct. Next question-"

"Can we please not do this tonight? Just once, can we skip it?"

"No, we can't."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because you need to pass the bar. And at this rate, you need to keep studying if you want that to happen."

"Why are you so obsessed with me passing this test? I mean, I don't even think I'm as invested in passing as you are in me passing. What's your deal, man?"

"My 'deal' is that I'm not about to just stand aside and watch you destroy what I assume is your greatest dream in life just because, what, you've got a cold? Grow up, Carisi."

"Grow up? Why don't you grow up and get out of my apartment."

"No."

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Because I had to be!" They were both silent for a moment, stunned by Rafael's outburst. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell, but... I wouldn't be where I am today without having a certain degree of... tenacity." Sonny snorted. "I'm serious. You really think that the son of a Cuban immigrant would have gone from the Bronx to Harvard if I hadn't busted my ass every minute of every day to get there?"

"I mean-"

"That was rhetorical. I did, and now I'm here. And even though this is clearly different, I'm not willing to let you do anything less than work your ass off to get what you want. Okay?" Sonny smiled.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. But, uh, can we at least reschedule this? It's late-" he yawned as if to prove his point. "-and I actually want to get in to work tomorrow." Rafael softened a bit.

"Fine. But tomorrow, you owe me an extra half hour."

"Sure. Whatever gets you out of my apartment." Rafael picked up his jacket.

"You're going to do great things, Sonny, if you just apply yourself."

"You sound like my mother."

"I don't mean to. But I believe in you, and I want to see you be everything you can possibly be." With what seemed like maybe the barest flash of a grin, Rafael pulled open the door. "Oh, and seriously, try the soup. It's my _abuelita's_ recipe, and it's better than whatever chicken noodle b.s. you picked up from the bodega on your way home." He shut the door behind him and paused outside in the hallway. Maybe he was a little too hard on Sonny. But, he figured, it was better to be tough than let someone fall in front of you.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know this was short. I wrote it mostly so y'all could give me ideas for a longer fic (like, 30 chapters or so). Please do, I really want to hear from you guys!


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